At the initiative of PhARMA Innovation Forum (PIF), a broad meeting was held with the Minister of Health, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, with the participation of SFEE and other institutional pharmaceutical bodies, in a productive and positive atmosphere, with a shared recognition of the pressure exerted by the clawback on patients and the innovation ecosystem.
The meeting was attended by the General Managers and representatives of 30 innovative Pharmaceutical Companies represented by PhARMA Innovation Forum, with the main topic being the excessive hospital clawback on both hospital medicines and EOPYY. For 2024, it is estimated to reach 75.5% for the category of hospital medicines priced over €30, dramatically burdening pharmaceutical companies and threatening the market’s sustainability. The Minister announced a support fund of €15 million to reduce the clawback, a measure expected to lower mandatory returns by only 2 to 2,5 percentage points and committed to seeking a new meeting with the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Mr. Kyriakos Pierrakakis, to explore additional funding sources and more stable solutions. Despite the positive intent, this intervention does not address the root of the problem nor ensure predictability conditions for the health system and the pharmaceutical industry.
PhARMA Innovation Forum acknowledges the importance of political commitment to continue the dialogue, however it emphasizes that temporary measures are insufficient to prevent the consequences of an unsustainable system. The reduction resulting from this intervention is limited and does not change the structure of a mechanism that continues to undermine sustainability and innovation. The continuous clawback repayments have exceeded the companies’ tolerance limits and threaten Greek patients’ access to innovative treatments. An immediate, bold structural solution is required to ensure sufficient public funding, transparency, and stability, so that Greece remains a country that welcomes innovation and offers its patients equal treatment opportunities.
